Federal agents have rescued more than 200 sex trafficking victims, including dozens of children, and arrested more than 100 suspected human traffickers in a nationwide initiative.

The FBI announced the results Tuesday of Operation Cross Country, a targeted crackdown on sex trafficking and child exploitation that’s carried out with the help of state and local law enforcement agencies across the country.

Exact numbers offered by the federal agency include 59 minor victims of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation being rescued last month, along with locating 59 children who had been reported missing.

Further, the FBI said it arrested 126 people on child sexual exploitation and trafficking offenses and also took 68 suspected human traffickers into custody.

“Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes scar victims — many of them children — for life,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said in a press release. “The FBI’s commitment to combating this threat will never waver, and we will continue to send our message that these atrocities will not be tolerated.”

Operation Cross Country — a two-week operation that is now in its 13th year — was done in July in coordination with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The teams that work to apprehend criminal suspects also include victim specialists, who connect trafficking victims to housing, food and emergency medical services once they’ve been rescued.

“Behind every statistic, there is a person with dreams, aspirations, and the right to live a life free from child sex trafficking and exploitation. As a society we must work together to ensure the protection, support, and empowerment of those impacted by this heinous crime,” said Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.